The latter character isn't much of a surprise, given that Sacha Dawan's Davos was already being groomed to become an enemy of Danny Rand in Season 1. But to help prep for the new season, here's everything you need to know about the Iron Fist/Steel Serpent rivalry from the comics. (And head here to learn all about Typhoid Mary!)

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Every Upcoming Movie and TV Show

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Click through for all the upcoming MCU movies and TV shows...

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Click through for all the upcoming MCU movies and TV shows...

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Every Upcoming Movie and TV Show

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Steel Serpent Explained: The Basics

Many superheroes are plagued by an arch-rival who's basically their dark mirror image, and that's what the Steel Serpent is to Iron Fist. Davos is a native of the heavenly City of K'un-L'un and the son of Lei Kung the Thunderer. Given that lofty family pedigree, Davos fancies himself the rightful heir to the power of iron Fist. But ever since he was beaten and humiliated by Danny's father and exiled from K'un-L'un, Davis has held a bitter grudge against the Rand family. Even his distinctive chest tatoo speaks to that hatred, as it's a corrupted, unfinished version of the traditional Iron Fist tattoo.

The Steel Serpent has been a major thorn in Iron Fist's side ever since. He's a dangerous opponent, and one who will stop at nothing to claim the power he sees as rightfully his.

Steel Serpent's Powers and Abilities

Davos is among the most skilled martial artists in a city known for training some of the best fighters in the world. His hand-to-hand combat skills are almost without equal, and even Iron Fist is often hard-pressed to defeat this foe (especially since Davos isn't above cheating or resorting to sneak attacks).

Davos has also shown the ability to use his serpent tattoo to drain the chi of his rivals and make himself stronger. He's temporarily stolen the power of Iron Fist on more than one occasion, and he's also fed off the life force of the daughters of Crane Mother.

More recently, Davos has grown in power after rechristening himself "Steel Phoenix." His mastery of his chi is such that he was even able to regrow a severed limb out of pure energy.

Steel Serpent: Origin and Background

The original Steel Serpent was created by Tony Isabella and Frank McLaughlin in 1974's The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #10. However, that character has never appeared beyond that one issue. Davos himself appeared the following year in Iron Fist #1, created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne in one of their more popular pre-Uncanny X-Men collaborations.

These early stories fleshed out Davos' back-story and his rivalry with Danny Rand. One particularly interesting wrinkle introduced here was that Davos became trapped inside a K'un-L'un artifact called the Anomaly Gem (not to be confused with the Infinity Gems), traveling to a spiritual plane where he could train with the spirits of past Iron Fists. That's one reason this villain is such a formidable fighter. This also kicked off a trend where Davos was able to cheat death and return to the land of the living. Davos even briefly managed to usurp the throne of K'un-L'un before being defeated by Lei Kung and Iron Fist.

Davos enjoyed a major resurgence in popularity thanks to Matt Fraction, Ed Brubaker and David Aja's 2007 series Immortal Iron Fist. That series significantly expanded on the mythology of Iron Fist, introducing many new prior incarnations of Iron Fist and also the idea that K'un-L'un itself is one of seven "Capital Cities of Heaven" that all exist outside the reach of ordinary men.

Davos served as a major villain in the series, aligning himself with Hydra and becoming Crane Mother's champion in a martial arts tournament between the seven cities. But despite gaining new power and becoming the Steel Phoenix, Davos was defeated by the Prince of Orphans. That paved the way for a redemption of sorts for Davos. Eventually, Davos' father became the new ruler of K'un-L'un, and Davos himself became the protector of the dragon egg that will one day determine the fate of the next would-be Iron Fist.

Steel Serpent: Beyond the Comics

Davos has enjoyed very little exposure outside of Marvel's comics so far, though that's beginning to change. Davos was portrayed by Sacha Dawan in Iron Fist: Season 1. That season established the history between Davos and Danny. As in the comics, Davos is depicted as the son of Lei Kung and a former candidate to become Iron Fist. While once close friends with Danny Rand, Davos' jealousy and his anger over Danny's refusal to kill in their conflict with Bakuto caused a major rift between the two. By the end of Season 1, Davos had sworn to kill Danny, and he'll surely try to make good on that vow in Season 2.

Danny Rand and Davos from Netflix's Iron Fist: Season 1

Dawan also voiced Davos in the video game LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2. One level in the game pits Iron Fist, Ms. Marvel and Spider-Man against Davos, who tries to take control of the Dragon Shou-Lao.

Every Enhanced Character in Netflix's Marvel Cinematic Universe

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Netflix's Marvel Cinematic Universe features a number of characters who were not born with powers but were later enhanced, altered or otherwise empowered through science, exposure, or alchemy. Here then are the most notable of these heroes and villains who became gifted. SPOILERS for all the Netflix MCU series follow!

01 OF 16

Netflix's Marvel Cinematic Universe features a number of characters who were not born with powers but were later enhanced, altered or otherwise empowered through science, exposure, or alchemy. Here then are the most notable of these heroes and villains who became gifted. SPOILERS for all the Netflix MCU series follow!